Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Badge Button

The distinctive beginning - a four-note "short-short-short-long" motif - from The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music, and one of the most frequently played symphonies. The symphony, particularly its intro, are known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture. The First Movement (as performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra) was featured on the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph record containing a broad sample of the images, common sounds, languages, and music of Earth, sent into outer space with the two Voyager probes. Groundbreaking in terms of both its technical and its emotional impact, the Fifth has had a large influence on composers and music critics, and inspired work by such composers as Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, and Berlioz.